Kevin Nunes
Professor
- PhD (University of Ottawa)
- Email Kevin Nunes
- 613-520-2600 ext 1545
Research Interests
The focus of research in the Aggressive Cognitions and Behaviour Research (ACBR) Laboratory is on the conceptualization and measurement of cognitions鈥攕uch as attitudes鈥攖hought to be relevant to violent behaviour, and the role these cognitions may play in violent behaviour. Our main goal is to contribute to scientific knowledge about the causes of violence, which provides the foundation for effective and efficient assessment and intervention aimed at reducing violence.
In our research we most often use cross-sectional, retrospective, and randomized experimental research designs. Our studies have been conducted online, in the lab, federal and provincial prisons, and forensic psychiatric hospitals. Most of our projects have involved collecting data directly from participants (students, people in the community, inmates, or patients), but we also sometimes use archival datasets or conduct meta-analytic reviews of the literature. Our work has been funded by grants and awards from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, The Royal鈥檚 Institute of Mental Health Research, and 杏吧原创 University.
Research projects planned for the next few years will focus on attitudes toward violence in online studies with university students and men from the general public. In these projects, we will continue to develop, evaluate, and refine measures and experimental manipulations; explore the relationship between attitudes, other important violence predictors/correlates, and violent/aggressive behaviour.
Some of our current collaborators are Justin Carr茅 (Nipissing University), Liam Ennis (University of Alberta), Leandre Fabrigar (Queen鈥檚 University), Chantal Hermann (Ministry of the Solicitor General of Ontario), Zoe Hilton (Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care), Sandy Jung (MacEwan University), Sacha Maimone (The Royal), Pedro Pechorro (University of Algarve), Chloe Pedneault (Government of Canada), Anna Pham (Government of Canada), Devon Polaschek (University of Waikato), and John Zelenski (杏吧原创 University).
For more information about people and projects in the ACBR lab, please see our website:
Sample Publications Reflecting Current Research Focus (student co-authors in bold)
Nunes, K. L., Hatton, C. E., Pham, A. T., Blank, C., & Maimone, S. (2024). Causal interpretations of correlational evidence regarding violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication.
Nunes, K. L., Pechorro, P., & Peters, J. R. (2024). Violent attitudes in Portugal and Canada: Measurement invariance and psychometric properties of the Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire. Aggressive Behavior, 50(5), Article e22175.
Maimone, S., Seto, M. C., Ahmed, A. G., & Nunes, K. L. (2024). Using reaction time procedures to assess implicit attitudes toward violence in a nonconvicted male sample. Aggressive Behavior, 50(4), Article e22168.
Nunes, K. L., & Hatton, C. E. (2024). Do professionals show a bias specific to treatment for people who have sexually offended in their interpretation of ambiguous evidence? Journal of Sexual Aggression. Advance online publication.
DeLisi, M., Pechorro, P., & Nunes, K. L. (2024). Still waters run deep: Self-control as a moderator of dark personality traits for antisocial conduct and violent attitudes. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, 35(4), 507-521.
Nunes, K. L., Pedneault, C. I., Hermann, C. A., & Fraser, J. (2023). Do violent attitude measures assess evaluative attitudes toward violence? Psychology of Violence, 3(4), 348-359.
Nunes, K. L., Pedneault, C. I., & Hermann, C. A. (2022). Do attitudes toward violence affect violent behavior? Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma, 31(7), 835-850.
LaPierre, A. R., Pedneault, C. I., & Nunes, K. L. (2022). Factor structure and distinctiveness of the Violent Behavior Vignette Questionnaire. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma, 31(7), 926-941.
Nunes, K. L., Pedneault, C. I., & Hermann, C. A. (2021). The Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire (EVQ): Development and validity of a self-report measure of evaluative attitudes toward violence. Psychology of Violence, 11, 591-600.
Nunes, K. L., Hermann, C. A., Maimone, S., Atlas, M., & Grant, B. A. (2021). The Violent Behavior Vignette Questionnaire (VBVQ): A measure of violent behavior for research in forensic and non-forensic settings and populations. Psychological Reports, 124, 1863-1896.